Karratha is an
impact crater
An impact crater is a depression (geology), depression in the surface of a solid astronomical body formed by the hypervelocity impact event, impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal c ...
in the
Memnonia quadrangle
The Memnonia quadrangle is one of a series of 30 quadrangle maps of Mars used by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Astrogeology Research Program. The Memnonia quadrangle is also referred to as MC-16 (Mars Chart-16).
The quadrangle i ...
of
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
. It was named after the town of
Karratha,
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
, in 2021.
Karratha lies within the larger
Dampier, which is south of
Burton crater.
The crater is thought to be around 5-10 million years old. It has been suggested to be the source crater of the
Martian meteorite
A Martian meteorite is a rock that formed on Mars, was ejected from the planet by an impact event, and traversed interplanetary space before landing on Earth as a meteorite. , 277 meteorites had been classified as Martian, less than half a perce ...
Northwest Africa 7034
Northwest Africa 7034 (NWA 7034, nicknamed Black Beauty) is a Martian meteorite.Associated Press (January 4, 2013)Mars meteorite 'Black Beauty' contains most water of any found on Earth, say scientists.''The Guardian'' It contains portio ...
.
References
Impact craters on Mars
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